Soccer Game Central

HAMILTON, N.Y. (9/22/11) – The Colgate men's soccer team will open Patriot League play this weekend when it travels to Washington, D.C. for a matchup against American on Saturday, Sept. 24 at 12 p.m.

The Raiders were picked to finish first in the league's preseason poll and will look to secure their first league win, while improving on their 5-1-1 overall record.

SCOUTING THE RAIDERS
The Raiders are coming off a weekend split at the CU Classic. Colgate dropped its first game of the season 1-0 against Hofstra on Friday before defeating LIU 2-1 on Sunday. Senior co-captains Steven Miller and Mike Reese were named to the all-tournament team.

POINT LEADERS
The Raiders are led by co-captains Miller and Reese. Miller, who is second in the league in points, points per game, goals and goals per game, has a team-high eight points from four goals this season, while Reese has four points from two game-winning goals, which has him tied for first in the league in game-winners. The seniors are followed by junior Shane Conlin and freshman Jimmy McLaughlin who have three points apiece from one goal and one assist each.

SOLID DEFENSE
The team continues to play solid defense, limiting its opponents to only 15 shots on goal versus its 50, and allowing them only 12 points from four goals and four assists. Colgate is second in the league in goals against average (0.54) and is tied for second in goals allowed (4) and shut outs (3).

NSCAA MID-ATLANTIC RANKINGS
The Raiders are ranked third in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Mid-Atlantic Region poll this week. The University of North Carolina - Charlotte and Xavier sit at the two top spots. Patriot League opponents Lehigh, Bucknell and Lafayette are ranked fourth, fifth and sixth respectively behind Colgate.

SERIES
This will be the 12th meeting between the two teams, with American leading the all-time series 6-3-2 since they first met in 2001. Colgate has won only one of its six road games against the Eagles for a 1-4-1 record in Washington, D.C. The Raiders defeated American in the last meeting 1-0 on Van Doren Field in the 2010 season.

SCOUTING AMERICAN
The Eagles (1-6-1), which were picked to finish third in the preseason poll behind Colgate and Bucknell, are coming off a pair of losses to UCF and Cal St. Fullerton last weekend. Prior to that, the team has also suffered losses to Syracuse, Liberty, George Mason and Penn State, and has had a 1-1 double-overtime tie with Ohio State. Its only win this season was a 3-2 victory over George Washington on Sept. 1.

American is led by junior Alassane Kane and senior Jack Scott. Kane has a team-best five points from two goals and one assist while Scott has one goal and one assist for three points. Defending the net is senior Matt Makowski who has started in all eight games and has a total of 39 saves for a .696 save percentage.

PL WEEKLY AWARD WINNERS
The Raiders have had four players win a Patriot League Weekly Award this season, including two defensive players of the week, one rookie and one offensive player award. Senior Mike Reese and junior Patrick Letourneau have each won a Defensive Player of the Week award, while freshman Jimmy McLaughlin won the first Rookie of the Week honor and senior Steven Miller received last week's Offensive Player of the Week honor.

PATRIOT LEAGUE PRESEASON POLL
The Colgate men's soccer team was picked to finish on top of the league in the 2011 Patriot League Preseason Poll voted by head coaches and sports information directors in the league. The Raiders, who had 94 points and 10 first-place votes, were projected to finish first above the 2010 defending PL tournament champions, Bucknell, which had 86 points and 4 first-place votes.